Peter Parker’s Spider-Man is starting off 2026 the hard way, with a rematch against his strongest villain of all time. It’s a punishing fight that the Wall-Crawler may not be able to win, but one that he’s eager to fight after a very personal defeat.
Spider-Man Kicks Off 2026 With a Hellgate Rematch
spider-man villain hellgate roaring
On January 7, Spider-Man will once again fight Hellgate – the villain who destroyed him in their Amazing Spider-Man #7-8 battle.
The Amazing Spider-Man #19
The Amazing Spider-Man (2025) #19 cover showing spidey trapped in hellgate helmet
Release Date:
January 7, 2026
Writer:
Joe Kelly
Artists:
Pepe Larraz
Cover Artist:
Pepe Larraz and Marte Gracia
SPIDEY VS. HELLGATE, ROUND TWO! The spacefaring SPIDER-MAN heads back to Earth — only to find HELLGATE standing in his way! Spider-Man’s finally strong enough to beat the most powerful foe he’s ever faced… right?!
A superstrong, super-durable alien warrior, Hellgate crushed Spidey’s confidence and literally exiled him from Earth, with Norman Osborn choosing to take up the Spider-Man identity in his absence.
Who Is Spider-Man Villain Hellgate?
Amazing Spider-Man #6 by Kelly, Romita Jr., and Hanna – Hellgate greets Peter as Honored Prince of the Steelsilk
Hellgate is a member of the mysterious Pinnacle – beings from the alien world of Kailo who consider themselves gods. During his space adventures, Spidey faced off with Nikodimu – another member of the Pantheon – and won back his confidence, deciding that it was his moral duty to face the godlike bully once again.
During their first fight, Spidey threw literally everything he had at Hellgate, punching him hard enough to kill a mortal, burying an axe in his shoulder, bringing a building down on his head and freezing him with liquid nitrogen. None of it worked, and Hellgate manipulated Peter’s concern for civilians to easily win their fight.
Hellgatehits Spider-Man before he can react to his spider-sense and sends him flying into a car
However, after witnessing how the Pinnacle treat their subjects – including his new love interest Raelith the Wretched – Peter is finally ready to return to Earth for round 2. However, how Peter expects to beat a villain who moves faster than even his Spider-Sense can register is still a mystery.
While Peter Battles Hellgate, Norman Osborn’s Spidey Faces Hobgoblin
spider-man vs hobgoblin
However, Peter vs Hellgate isn’t the only banner fight coming in the first month of 2026. Amazing Spider-Man will also see Norman Osborn’s Spider-Man take on Hobgoblin, upgraded with an army’s worth of weaponry.
The Amazing Spider-Man #20
amazing spider-man cover showing spidey fighting hobgoblin
Release Date:
January 21, 2026
Writer:
Joe Kelly
Artists:
John Romita Jr.
Cover Artist:
Benjamin Su
NIGHT OF THE GOBLIN (SLAYERS)! Norman Osborn may be purged of his sins, but that doesn’t mean they can’t still come back to haunt him! HOBGOBLIN wants Norman out of the SPIDER-MAN game (and this life) for good — and he’s got the hyper-lethal tech of an entire goblin-slaying army at his disposal. What does Norman have…?! A Spider-Man or Woman or two who trust him as far as they can throw him…
Osborn took over as Spider-Man as part of his ongoing desire for redemption, and so it’s appropriate that – before Peter returns to Earth – he’ll be taking on his dark reflection. Roderick Kingsley forged the identity after stealing Norman Osborn’s Green Goblin tech, and has used it to do a huge amount of evil.
The first ever full image of The Hobgoblin in Marvel Comics
Norman Osborn was mystically purged of his sins back in 2020, and has been trying to make the world better ever since. First as the Gold Goblin and now as Spider-Man, Osborn has been trying to embody the same self-sacrifice as Peter Parker, but finding only a renewed thirst for violence.
2026 Begins with a Bang for Spider-Man Lore
spider-man comic art showing his origin
With Peter returning to Earth for a near-impossible fight and Norman Osborn tackling his dark reflection, January 2026 will be a great time to be a Spider-Man fan, as the year kicks off with both versions of the hero facing a serious reckoning.
Fans don’t yet know much about Hellgate’s godly pantheon, and so Spider-Man’s battle against the villain is likely the beginning, rather than the end, of his dealings with the Pinnacle. However, this time he won’t be ambushed by a godlike barbarian, but taking the fight to the cosmic bullies like only Spider-Man can.
The Amazing Spider-Man #19 is coming January 7 from Marvel Comics, with #20 following January 21.
First Appearance
Amazing Fantasy
Alias
Peter Parker, Ben Reilly, Otto Octavius, Yu Komori, Kaine Parker, Pavitr Prabhakar, William Braddock, Miles Morales, Kurt Wagner
Alliance
Avengers, Fantastic Four, X-Men, Secret Defenders, Future Foundation, Heroes for Hire, Mighty Avengers, New Avengers, Web-Warriors
Race
Human